Humidifier



March 10, 1942. vv. J. wooLLEY. 2,276,335

HUMIDIFIER Filed July 7, 1939 Sheets-Sheet l I INVENTOR. @j f2 M//m JWM/{} 54 f BY' .515 ATTORNEYS.

W. J. WOOLLEY March l0, 1942.

HUMIDIFIER 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed July 7, 19:59

1 N VENTOR.

i ATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 10, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HUMIDIFIER William J. Woolley, Chicago, Ill. Application July 7, 1939, VSerial No. 283,155

12 Claims.

This invention relates in general to humidifiers, and more particularly to humidifiers adapted for use with room heating units.

A principal object of the invention is the provision of a humidifier having an evaporation unit which may be readily mounted in operative association with any desired type of radiator or room heating unit.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of such an evaporation unit which comprises one or more narrow, elongated pans or troughs having water absorbent pads extending upwardly therefrom.

A further important object of the invention is the provision of an extremely small and simplied water feeder for automatically maintaining a selective, predetermined water level substantially constant in said evaporation unit.

Another object of the invention is the provision in such a humidifier of connections between the water feeder and the evaporation unit which enable the use of any desired number of pans with the one water feeder.

A further object of the invention is the provision of such a water feeder which may be connected directly to a hot water radiator as a source of supply for the water to be evaporated, and which will function to automatically vent any air entrained within the radiator.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a humidifier unit embodying the features of the invention mounted upon a convection type radiator, with part of the radiator casing broken away.

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of the valve unit taken longitudinally thereof substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the humidifier pans and evaporation pads, with parts broken away; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, detail, perspective view of part of the mechanism of Fig. 4, with parts broken away.

Referring more particularly to Fig. l, reference numeral I I indicates in general a hot water radiator of the convection type having a casing I2 surrounding the same with the usual air out- .let apertures I3 provided therein. A humidifier embodying the features of the instant invention is indicated generally by reference numeral I4, and comprises a valve unit I5, float pan I6, and

evaporation unit I'I.

. in the respective sections I8 and I9. The inner marginal portions of the flanged plates 2| are rigidly secured to their associated sections I8, I9 by an upsetting of these annular flanges 22.. The outer marginal portions of the flanged plates 2| rigidly retain the circumferential portion of aY screen 25 of relatively fine mesh, and are secured together in any suitable manner, such as by crimping the edge portion of one of said plates over that of the other.

The outer end of the inlet section I8 is rigidly secured by a union 26 to one end of a supply tube 21 connected at its other end to a Valve 28 (Fig. 1) to one end of the radiator II. A valve, indicated generally by reference numeral 29 (Fig. 3) is mounted in the bore 24 of the outlet section I9 by means of a threaded retaining member 3| which is screwed into the tapped outer end of the bore. 4The valve 29, in addition to the retaining member 3| comprises an elongated stem 32 having a disk 33 rigidly secured to the intermediate portion thereof, a sleeve 34 surrounding the stem 52 in spaced relationship thereto, a guide member 35 slidably mounted on the inner end of the stem, and a coil spring 36 surrounding the stem between the guide member 35 and the flange 33. The retaining member 3I is rotatably mounted at its inner end upon the sleeve 34, and is provided at its outer end with suitable outlet apertures communicating with the interior of the sleeve 34 and a transverse portion slidably supported by the stem 32. The outer end of the stem 34 extends beyond the outer end of the outlet section I9. The spring 36 functions to normally maintain the flange 33 in tight engagement with the inner end of the sleeve 34 to maintain the valve 29 in closed position. Inward pressure upon the outer end of the stem 32 will move the flange 33 against the action of the spring 36 away from the sleeve 34 to open the valveA and permit iiuid to flow from the bore 24 through the members 3|,-

and 34 and into the tank I6. The operation and construction of this valve unit I5 is more particularly disclosed in my copending application above referred to.

At its outer end, the outlet section I9 of the valve unit I5 is provided with a bifurcated extension 31 (Figs. 2 and 3) between which one end of a lever 38 is disposed. The lever 38 is pivotally mounted upon a pin 39 extending through the bifurcated portion 31. The other end of the lever 38 is adjustably connected by a bolt 4i to one end of an arm 42 connected at its other end to a small float 43 disposed interiorly of the pan I6. The outer surface of the outlet section I9 of the valve unit I5 is threaded at 44 to accommodate a pair of retaining nuts 45 which may engage the opposite sides of the upper end of a strap or bracket 46. The lower end of the bracket 46 is bent at substantially right angles to the upper end thereof and is secured at 41 in any suitable manner to an end wall of the pan I6. It will be readily understood that the angular position of the valve unit I5 relative to the walls of the pan I6 may be selected as desired, since the valve unit will operate satisfactorily in any position.

The above-described mechanism functions to maintain a constant level of water in the trough or reservoir I6 and the humidifying unit I1. The necessary water is supplied by the tube 21 from the radiator II so that it may be shut off by closing of the valve 23. Whenever the water level falls below that whichl is desired, the float 43 will move downwardly to a position below that shown in Fig. 2. Since the arm 42 is rigidly connected to the lever 38, such downward movement of the oat 43 will rotate the lever 38 in a counter-clockwise direction upon its pivot pin 39. The end portion of the upper surface of the lever 38 will then move the valve stem 32 upwardly, or inwardly relative to the unit I5, to open the valve 29 to permit water to flow therethrough from the tube 21 into the reservoir I6.

The flow of water through the valve unit I5 will be automatically terminated as soon as the water level in the pan I6 reaches the predetermined point at which it is desired to` be maintained. Such result will be obtained because the float 43 will then be raised to its position of Fig. 2, wherein the lever 36 exerts no inward pressure upon the valve stem 32, so that the spring 36 is allowed to close the valve. It will be appreciated that only a Very slight downward movement of the float 43 is necessary to open the valve 29. The desired water level may be varied by selective adjustment of the relative angular positions of the arm 42 and lever 38 through the agency of the bolt 4I. Such operation of the valve unit I5 in supplying water to the float reservoir I6 also functions to automatically vent any air which has become entrained in the radiator II. Since the venting of air from convection type hot water radiators is normally attended by a great many difhculties, this additional function of the valve unit I5 is of primary importance.

The float reservoir I6 is preferably provided with a removable cover 46 (Fig. 2) having an aperture 49 at one end thereof to accommodate the valve unit I5 and bracket 45. The pan I6 is provided in its bottom with a suitable aperture through which the upper end of a flanged nipple 5I extends. The nipple 5I may be rigidly secured to the reservoir I6 to provide a leak-proof joint therebetween by upsetting the upper end against a washer or gasket 52 interiorly of the reservoir. The lower end of the bore of the nipple 5I is slightly enlarged to accommodate the upper end of a conduit 53 which is preferably made of copper tubing. A relatively thin collar 54 of brass, or any other suitable material, is slidably mounted upon the upper end of the tube 53 and is adapted to be squeezed against the lower end of the member 5I by a anged nut or union 55 screwed thereon. Tightening of the union 55 will result in sufficient deformation of the collar 54 to insure a leak-proof joint between the member 5I and the tube 53.

As shown in Fig. 4, the other end of the tube 53 is `connected in similar manner to a fitting or T-connection 56. A conduit 51 is soldered or lotherwise suitably connected at one end to the fitting 56, and the remaining outlet of the fitting may be connected by means of a union 58, similar to the union 55, to one end of a similar conduit 59. The other ends of the conduits 51, 59 are respectively connected in any suitable manner to the bottom end portions of elongated troughs or pans 6I. The troughs 6I are Very narrow and are spaced laterally in parallel relationship to each other. The particular reason for employing the T-connection or fitting 56 is to enable the use of any desired number of troughs 6|.

The troughs 6I are supported by brackets 62 adjacent each end thereof. The lower portion of each of the brackets 62 is U-shaped, and the side walls thereof 'are bent back and downwardly upon themselves at 63 (Fig. 5) and outwardly to provide a horizontal shelf portion 64 which terminates at its outer end in an upwardly extending wall portion 65. The shelf portion 64 is preferably of such width that the opposite side walls of a trough 6I will be friotionally engaged by the wall portions of the bracket extending upwardly therefrom, including the outer wall portion 65. The bottom of the bracket 62 is spaced a substantial distance from the shelf portions 64, so that the troughs 6I will be disposed well above the top of the radiator Il when the unit I1 is mounted thereon, as shown in Fig. 1. Such spacing of the unit I1 above the radiator II is highly desirable in order not to impair the natural flow of heated air from the latter.

A pair of elongated blotters or pads 66 of asbestos, or any other suitable fibrous material, are mounted in vertical position in each of the troughs 6|. The pads 66 are preferably corrugated for the purpose of adding rigidity thereto, providing vertical air spaces therebetween, and increasing the exposed surface areas thereof. A plurality of U-shaped wire retaining members 61 are mounted in each of the troughs 6I in spaced relationship to each other longitudinally of the pan. The transverse or connecting part of each of the retaining members 61 rests upon the bottom of the trough 6I, while the two arms thereof extend upwardly in contact with opposite sides of the trough and the outer surfaces of the associated pads 66 (Fig. 5).

The evaporation or humidifying unit I1 is supplied with the necessary water from the float pan I6 by the tube 53 and conduits 51, 59. The valve unit l5 and its associated mechanism function to maintain water in the troughs 6I at a predetermined level. Since the pads 66 are formed from suitable fibrous material, they will w properly humidied by taking on moisture from the pads 66. As the water is evaporated from the pads 66, additionalwater will be automatically supplied thereto by the valveunit I5 in the manner herein earlier described. The troughs 6I and pads 66 are disposed as shown in Fig. 1 to expose a maximum evaporation surface to the currents of warm air generated by the radiator II without affecting the efliciency of the latter. The number of troughs 6I employed in the unit Il may be varied as desired to accomplish the proper humidication of the air heated by the radiator II. The casing I2 surrounding the radiator unit will function to insure the flow of warm air from the radiator over the surfaces of the pads 56 before it is discharged throughk the apertures I 3 therein.

While the humidifier I4 is herein disclosed as being mounted in association With a convection type of hot water radiator, it will be readily apparent that it is equally applicable for use with any other desired type of heating element. For example, due to the narrow `width of the troughs 6I, the unit II may be employed with the standard type of hot water or steam radiator by mounting one or more of the troughs interiorly thereof between the vertical portions of the coils. The connections 53 and 56 -to 59 readily lend themselves to any desired installation of the humidifier unit Il, as does the float pan IB and valve unit I5. The use of the separate water supply unit, comprising the valve unit I5, the float and the pan I8, has the additional advantage of insuring a supply of clean water to the evaporation unit, the screen 25 holding back dirt and other foreign matter, and the cover 48 protecting the outlet of the valve unit and the float. The unit I4 may be very easily and simply installed in conjunction `with any type of hot Water radiator by merely attaching the supply pipe 27 thereto in place of the usual air relief Valve. The

elimination of the latter is another important l feature of the instant invention, because the valve unit I5 will function to automatically vent any air from the radiator in its normal operation of supplying water as needed to the humidifying unit.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, `construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, th-e form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

2. In combination with a radiator unit of the convection type, a humidifier, lcomprising a plurality of narrow, elongated evaporation troughs, substantially U-shaped supporting members having laterally extending flanges formed substantially at right angles to the arms of the said members for supportingsaid troughs in substantially parallel relationship to leach other upon the upper surface of and. in air-spaced relationship to said radiator, and awater feeder unit connected to said troughs for automatically maintaining a predetermined water level subsaid members `for supporting said troughs in substantially parallel relationship to each other upon the upper surface of and in air-spaced relationship to said radiator, a small iioat pan connect-ed to said evaporation troughs, a float disposed interiorly of said iioat pan, and a valve unit connected to said radiator and controlled by said oat for automatically supplying water to said pans and troughs from said radiator and venting any air entrained in the latter.

4. In a humidiiier, an evaporation unitl comprising a narrow, elongated water trough, a plurality of thin strips of `Water absorbent material mounted vertically in and extending upwardly from `and longitudinally of said trough, said strips being disposed in contacting relationship to each other, and retaining members disposed in spaced relationship to each other in said trough and extending upwardly therefrom for maintaining said strips in Vertical position and in said contacting relationship.

5. In a humidifier adapted to be mounted upon the upper surface of a heating unit, a plurality of elongated water troughs, and brackets for maintaining said troughs in substantially parallel, spaced relationship to each other and for supporting the same in air-spaced relation to the upper surface of the heating unit, each of said brackets comprising an integral member having a horizontal base portion and vertical portions eX- tending upwardly therefrom and bent back upon themselves to provide trough engaging surfaces.

6. In a humidifier, an evaporation unit, :comprising a narrow, elongated Water trough, a thin strip o'f water absorbent material mounted vertically in and extending upward-ly from and longitudinally of said trough, and a plurality of U-shaped retaining members removably disposed in and spaced longitudinally of said trough with their free ends extending upwardly therefrom for maintaining said strip in vertical position.

7. In a humidifier, an evaporation unit, comprising a narrow, `elongated water trough, and a pair of thin strips of water absorbent material mounted vertically in and extending upwardly from said trough, said strips being vertically corrugated and disposed in contacting relationship to each other so that the corrugations provide vertical, tube-like passages between said strips up the surfaces of which water may iiow from said trough by capillary action.4

8. In a humidifier, an evaporation unit, comprising a narrow, elongated water trough, and a pair of thin strips of water absorbent material mounted vertically in and extending upwardly from said trough, said strips being vertically corrugated and disposed in Icontacting relationship to each other so that the corrugations provide vertical, tube-like passages between said strips up the surfaces of which water may be elevatedv from said trough by capillary attraction, and

means for maintaining said strips in said contacting relationship.

9. In a humidier, an evaporation unit, comprising a narrow, elongated Water trough, and a pair of thin strips of water absorbent material mounted vertically in and extending upwardly from said trough, said strips being vertically corrugated and disposed in :contacting relationship to each other so that the corrugations pro vide vertical, tube-like passages between said strips up the surfaces of which water may be elevated by capillary attraction from said trough, and readily removable means for maintaining said strips in said -contacting relationship.

10. In a humidifier, an evaporation unit, comprising a narrow, elongated water trough, and a pair of thin strips of water absorbent material mounted vertically in and extending upwardly from said trough, sai-d strips being vertically corrugated and disposed in contacting relationship to each other so that the corrugations provide vertical, tube-like passages between said strips up the surfaces of which water may be elevated from said trough by capillary attraction, and means for maintaining said strips in said contacting relationship, said means comprising a plurality of retaining members removably disposed in and spaced longitudinally of said trough with their free ends extending upwardly therefrom.

11. In a humidifier, an evaporation unit, comprising a narrow, elongated Water trough, a plurality of thin strips of -corrugated Water absorbent material mounted vertically in and extending upwardly from and longitudinally of said trough, said strips being disposed in contacting relationship to each other to provide vertical tube-like passages between said strips, and retaining members disposed in spaced relationship to each other in said trough and extending upwardly therefrom for maintaining said strips in vertical position and in said contacting relationship.

12. In a humidifier, an evaporation unit, comprising a plurality' of narrow, elongated Water troughs, a plurality of thin strips of lcorrugated water absorbent material mounted vertically in and extending upwardly from and longitudinally of said troughs, said strips being ydisposed in contacting relationship to each other to provide vertical tube-like passages between sai-d strips, retaining members disposed in spaced relationship to each other in said troughs and extending upwardly therefrom for maintaining said strips in vertical position and said contacting relationship, and brackets for maintaining said troughs in substantially parallel relationship to each other and for supporting the same in spaced relation to a supporting surface.

WILLIAM J. WOOLLEY. 

